City League baseball preview

Lilly tries to continue dynasty; teams added

May 19, 2013

For the ninth time in the last 10 years, Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/American Legion will be the defending champion of the Altoona Greater City Baseball League.

The story, like it has been for this unprecedented run of sustained success, is the year-in, year-out return of the team's core of shortstop Brandon Ickes, outfielder Brent Matish, outfielder Ryan Ickes, first baseman Cody Gallaher, outfielder Brent Davison and third baseman Lucas McCoy.

This group is back for another run in 2013, and Lilly once again is the favorite to win another championship.

"We've been very lucky to have the core group together," former manager and current scorekeeper and statistician for Lilly, Ron Davison, said. "Brandon Ickes and Brent Matish both started in 2003. Ryan [Ickes] started in 2004. Gallaher came about eight years ago, and Brent [Davison] began full time in 2006 but had been on the roster on and off since he was in high school. Lucas has been here for five or six years now. It's a nice core of guys playing."

A key addition Lilly Conrad made was pitcher Ben Watkins. Watkins excelled for Lilly before but left after getting drafted in the 40th round by the New York Yankees in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft. Third baseman Lucas McCoy will take over the third base coaching duties from Ron Davison this season.

There are only two significant changes for the 2013 campaign. One is the addition of two new teams in Crown Jewel/Cox Refract, coached by Bill Dicken, and Mountainview Archery, managed by Dale Snyder. The other change is in the playoff format. This year, the fourth- and fifth-place teams will play a one-game wild card playoff. The winner will advance to play the top-seeded team, while the second- and third-place teams will play in best-of-3 series.

"We'll be doing a one game playoff much like one the MLB began using last year," league president and third baseman for JnD Guns, Brian Farabaugh, said.

The AAABA League had the most teams playing in its league in its long history last season with six. This season, however, the league is back down to four teams, with the Railbirds, Ketrow Insurance, Johnston Realty and a new sponsor for the former Red Bull entry, Wise Trailer Sales.

With the loss of two teams, each AAABA team will play a 21-game schedule, while playing each City League team once, playing each other three times and playing all six AAABA teams in Johnstown once. Last year was the first year the league used a playoff system to decide who would represent its league in the AAABA Regional tournament, and this year will be no different. The playoffs will begin on July 18, and the AAABA regional tournament begins July 26.

John Austin, the long-time Altoona AAABA League president, is excited for the league to begin play on May 29.

"Unfortunately, we lost two teams, but we have four really good teams with four good coaches," Austin said. "It should be a very interesting season."

Jeff Miller is back for another year managing Wise Trailer Sales, and the team returns all but three players. Miller's team and Johnston Realty are expected to be at the top of the Altoona AAABA League.

"I think Johnston should be the team to beat," Miller said. "We have a nice mix of younger guys and veterans, and that should make us good. Two of our greatest strengths are our team speed and pitching. The Railbirds are a year better, and I know [manager] Phil Sipes will have Ketrow playing better. It should be a very competitive league."

Johnston's Mel Curtis tossed bouquets back at Wise Trailer Sales.

"Every time we play Jeff's team, it's a battle," Curtis said. "They have a lot of phenomenal players."

Outlook: "We're totally rebuilding the roster. We only have seven returning players from last year. We'll have a young roster with talented kids, but this will be the first time competing against college-aged kids."